Miltenyi Biotec strengthened its presence in the Asia-Pacific Rim
by opening new headquarters in Suntec City, Singapore. The magnetic
cell separation and cellular therapy specialists already have a
presence in several European countries...
Merck & Co, still reeling from the impact of pulling its
painkiller Vioxx (rofecoxib) from the market, is to slash its staff
by 5,100 positions in a bid to save hundreds of millions of dollars
by the end of the year.
A study into the price of orphan drugs in the EU revealed that
access to treatments for patients with rare disorders can vary by
as much as 70 per cent within individual EU member states.
With the advent of ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) offering a
radical approach to drug discovery, the emphasis is now placed on
finding the most efficient means to deliver or transfect RNAi into
mammalian target genes,writes...
A potential new drug target for malaria was revealed this week
after scientists discovered the structure and function of the
malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, for the first time. The
findings represent a breakthrough for future...
Scientists have found a molecular weakness in the organism that
causes pneumonia, providing a target for the development of a new
class of antibiotics that could eventually eradicate the disease.
A technique used to conduct fully automated high throughput
mutation detection in microbial genomes, has shown greater
sensitivity over existing methods. The method analyses genetic
modification in bacteria and other disease causing...
A naturally occurring protein, which promotes the ability to repair
heart muscle after a myocardial infarction, significantly reducing
cardiac damage, may have drug applications as a wound healing
treatment for the heart.
A potential vaccine for the deadly ricin, a "Category B" biological
agent, is to proceed with the first phase of human clinical testing
of RiVax, a genetically engineered vaccine for the toxin for which
there is currently...
Invitrogen announced that it has obtained the licensed rights for
the development of protein microrrays, which contain more than 200
protein-based analytes, further increasing its intellectual
property position in the burgeoning microarray...
WellSpring Pharmaceuticals has been awarded a US patent for the
synthetic method of preperation for a new drug being developed for
the treatment of jaundice in newborns.
A new anti-infectives company, spun out of the Sanofi-Aventis
group, has received €40 million in financing from an international
group of leading life science investors led by Atlas Venture and
including Sofinnova, 3i, Abingworth...
New laws to stop increasingly violent animal extremists from
harassing scientists involved in medical experiments have received
the seal of approval by the Association of the British
Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
The need for a new class of antibiotics to tackle the rising threat
of antibiotic resistance was the focus of a drug discovery
agreement between two UK companies. The deal aims to produce
broad-spectrum antibiotics that are urgently...
US biomolecular company, Quantum Dot, has added impetus in its
drive to position the company from product development to a
commercially driven organization by appointing a new vice
president.
Newron Pharmaceuticals has announced the company and a consortium
will use the money raised from European funding to utilise
drug-screening technology for the HTS of molecules for ion channel
targets for neurological and psychiatric...
Structural GenomiX (SGX) and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, have
made a breakthrough in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) research by identifying
the three-dimensional crystal structure of a protein that has been
implicated in the onset of the...
Pharmaceutical giants Johnson and Johnson announced today it is to
discontinue its current clinical development program for its
controlled release formulation of topiramate in obesity after
studies revealed the formulation did not...
Pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has entered into
collaboration with InforSense with the aim of establishing a new
generation of flexible, informatics platforms that are able to deal
with the growing quantities of data...
Dutch drug company, Organon, has initiated further studies to
develop a specific class of non-hormonal drugs to treat the hot
flushes associated with menopause. The new drug, currently in
development, is set to be amongst the first...
Belgium genomics company Galapagos has put in place another element
in its strategy to develop in-house drug products functions with
the appointment of a new chief scientific officer.
Bioreason has launched ClassPharmer Suite Lite, a new edition of
the company's software system to increase success in the
hits-to-leads-to-clinic process within drug discovery.
Affymetrix has extended the range of custom microarrays by
launching a host of prokaryotic array designs, which offer
scientists an affordable tool to conduct whole-genome expression
studies on a wide range of pathogenic organisms.
Astrazeneca and Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) have entered
into an alliance to jointly discover and develop human monoclonal
antibody therapeutics, principally in the field of inflammatory
disorders, including respiratory diseases....
Research that could eventually lead to gene therapy treatment
options for patients with Parkinson's disease has been published
this week, which could bring hope to more than 1 million Americans
each year who suffer from this...
Scientists have identified a new, longer species of the amyloid
b-peptide that has the potential to be a new target for the
treatment of Alzheimer's disease The discovery serves as a basis
for treating one of the characteristic...
Biotechnology company Proteus has been issued with a new US patent
that details the functional screening of candidate active compounds
using in vitro protein expression. The granting of the patent
corresponds to the company's...
Millipore Corporation and Caliper Life Sciences announced the
availability of three new validated protocols developed for
hands-free operation and maximum productivity for drug discovery.
Bioengineers at the University of Oxford have developed a solution
to the problem of toxicity testing for new drugs, which can prove
to be ineffective or at worst dangerous to humans.
A technique that uses crystals to map 'invisible' parts of
molecules is set to revolutionise drug discovery by allowing the
molecular structures of proteins to be studied in greater detail
advancing on the technique of protein...
Qiagen has launched an automated viral DNA and RNA purification
solution that provides improved sensitivity in purification and
detection of viral DNA and RNA from serum, plasma, and cell-free
body fluids.
The first in a completely new class of drug for multiple sclerosis
has been approved in the US, opening up a new avenue of treatment
for sufferers of the debilitating diseases and potential
blockbuster revenues for developers Elan...
The Lab Automation Europe show at London's Kensington Olympia
showcased the latest laboratory equipment and technological
developments which are featured in a round-up of new apparatus that
could prove useful in drug discovery.
High throughput protein (HTP) crystallography is set to undergo key
technical developments in which the development of automation in
protein expression, protein engineering and crystallisation will
provide the accurate screening data...
German microfluidics company ThinXXS is to exhibit its novel
modular design system, the microfluidic construction kit, a
lab-on-a-chip (LOC) device that enables researchers to configure
required chip functions. The feature is sure...
UCB subsidiary Celltech has joined forces with the University of
Durham and another UK-based company to develop an unusual approach
to treating cancer using magnetic fields.
Applying automation to tissue culture techniques can improve the
development, maintenance and expansion of mammalian cells,
increasing the efficiency of drug discovery efforts, reports Wai
Lang Chu.
RTS life science has developed a high throughput tube picking
system that the company claims is able to pick and place multiple
tubes faster than current methods. The equipment becomes the first
system to incorporate 384-tube technology...
An online LIMS database module for the Affymetrix expression
Genechip array that allows for the downloading and tracking of
samples in the lab has proved so successful it intends to expand
the service to enable processing of samples...
German, US and Canadian researchers have discovered a gene and six
mutations that cause symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease
and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Caliper Life Sciences has launched a new automated electrophoresis
system that offers researchers a viable alternative to slab gel
electrophoresis on a small microfluidic chip that is set to greatly
increase sample throughput leading...
Nanotechnology for molecular targeting and drug delivery is set to
become a trillion-dollar industry with the drug sector's economic
and technological leadership key to the growth of the technology.
LION bioscience has said it plans to cut its headcount by at least
50 per cent as part of a new restructuring drive, with most cuts
being felt at the company's facilities in Heidelberg, Germany.
In the race to develop therapeutics based on RNA interference,
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has claimed a first with the publication of
a study showing in vivo RNAi-mediated gene silencing in
mammals by a method that potentially can be...
Guava Technologies have introduced a new cell cycle assay to add to
its range of personal cell analysis systems, which intends to make
drug discovery applications in the areas of immunology and oncology
more sensitive and accurate.
Molecular Devices has unveiled for the first time worldwide a new
microplate reader which advances on its SpectraMax M2 dual
absorbance and fluorescence plate reader platform by offering a
broader range of microtitre plate applications...
Hamilton Life Science Robotics has further extended its STARline
liquid handling workstations by launching the microlab STARplus,
which provides the opportunity to integrate third party equipment,
without the need for expensive robotic...
Dharmacon has launched a range of small interfering RNA (siRNA)
transfection reagents designed specifically to enhance transfection
efficiency, a crucial procedure in initial drug target
identification to late-stage therapeutic development.
Applera subsidiary Applied Biosystems was awarded a US patent
covering real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) instruments at
the end of last week, and immediately filed lawsuits against three
rival manufacturers.
